Wedge carinal resection for closure of the main bronchus after pneumonectomy

Closure of the bronchial stump after pneumonectomy can be challenging. Some special situations such as tumor extension, technical pitfalls, or poor ti ssue quality of the bronchial stump may preclude safe closure of the airway with standard techniques. We describe here a technique of wedge carinal re section that provides the surgeon an alternative whenever the standard clos ure of the stump is inapplicable. This technique has been successfully used in a series of 4 patients. (Ann Thorac Surg 2000;70:987-9) (C) 2000 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.